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May 2008

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4,709

Originally Posted by Oviedo

Nail on Head. Exactly. It is the Wallace supporters who want to cast everyone who doesn't miss him as having a vendetta. He is a player and can choose to play wherever he wants but he played it safe last year and other fans don't have to think that is OK.

True, and the over reaction is common, but we love our own, and he isn't one. That was clear in the way he handled it. No wrong doing on his part, but we prefer the Heath Miller types.

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Dec 2008

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Who cares? What WR has carried his team to a SuperBowl? I'm glad we didn't pay Wally and hope we'll use the money for more important positions going forward. I do think the Steelers overpaid for Brown. Hope he lives up to his contract.

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Jul 2008

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Originally Posted by Oviedo

Nail on Head. Exactly. It is the Wallace supporters who want to cast everyone who doesn't miss him as having a vendetta. He is a player and can choose to play wherever he wants but he played it safe last year and other fans don't have to think that is OK.

you are an expert at moving the goalposts ovi, I give you that.

your vendetta against wallace has been crystal clear by your words here. To now say otherwise is intellectually dishonest, but I'm certainly not surprised.

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The Steelers lost their biggest big-play WR this offseason in Mike Wallace, which was totally expected, but at the same time, admit it or not, a blow to the teams offense.

Say all you want about the attitude or dropped passes, but Wallace’s numbers don’t lie – when he was making plays, he was dangerous to the opposing defenses.

In four seasons Wallace averaged 17.2 yards per catch, and scored 32 touchdowns, including 8 in each of the last two seasons.

Wallace in 2012 had 64 grabs for 836 yards, and if the Steelers are going to be a force in the AFC North and the league this year, they have to get those catches and yards back somewhere.

Today, we take a look at the options on the team and where we think Wallace’s snags and yards will end up.

1. Antonio Brown – The obvious choice given he got the contract extension that Wallace turned down, he’ll be looked at as the guy that needs to do the most to get this offense on track in the passing game. Last season had 66 catches for 787 yards and five TD’s, and as the biggest name of the wide out core, he’s got to put up even bigger numbers with Wallace gone. The team expects huge things in year four – let’s see if he delivers.

2. Heath Miller – First and foremost let’s assume that Heath is going to come back to the team at or very close to 100 percent. Things seem to be progressing in his recovery, and if they remain that way, he will once again be counted on to have a monster part of this offense. Miller took a big step at being one of, if not the best TE in the AFC last season with 71 catches for 816 yards and a career-high eight scores. Miller needs to be as good in 2013 as 12, but that may be tough with the injury. Expect a slight downturn in catches and yards as Ben Roethlisberger tries to get more players involved in the pass game.

3. Emmanuel Sanders – May benefit the most from the Wallace departure, as he is in a contract year, and if he wants the type of money or even close that Brown got, he’s got to step up and play like a full-time starter from day one of training camp. Sanders averaged just 39 yards a game last year, pulling in just one score. In his 3 seasons with the Steelers has 94 catches, but only five scores. He needs to find a way to keep himself healthy and on the field, and also needs to get better at making Ben notice him more around the goal line. Let’s see if the Steelers knew what they were doing when they matched the offer sheet from the Pats.

4. Markus Wheaton – He’s the wild card of the bunch, and based on his numbers last season at Oregon State (91 grabs for 1,244 yards and 11 touchdown in 2012), helooks to be a good one. Problem is, it’s going to take some time for him to get adjusted to the pro game, and if you look in the past, it’s rare that a Steelers rookie WR comes right in and makes a huge impact. Still, Wheaton is expected to turn into a big name threat for the Steelers, and if he can get into the pro game quickly, he can help this team this year make up for Wallace.

Summary: At the end of the day, the job of picking up the slack for Wallace has to first and foremost fall on the two WR’s – Brown and Sanders. If Sanders wants to be elite and pickup a huge offseason deal, he’s got a shot in front of him to do it. For Brown, he’s already got the money, and now he needs to numbers to show why the team paid him that much. Miller will contribute, but you have to worry about his injuries and if he can bounce back quickly.

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Jul 2010

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Originally Posted by flippy

Who cares? What WR has carried his team to a SuperBowl? I'm glad we didn't pay Wally and hope we'll use the money for more important positions going forward. I do think the Steelers overpaid for Brown. Hope he lives up to his contract.

Well, in the Ben thread, you mentioned you thought that losing Holmes was the reason we lost the last Super Bowl to GB. While that doesn't mean a WR carried the team to a Super Bowl, it must still be quite an important piece.

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Mar 2008

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Here's my take on the Mike Wallace situation. Mike Wallace is a good receiver and one of the best (if not the best) deep threats in the game. Ben Roethlisberger is one of the best quarterbacks in the game, probably top 5, maybe better, but at worst top 10. Ben isn't simply going to complete 64 less passes than he did last year, because Wallace isn't there. He will find 64 other targets, maybe Brown, maybe Sanders, maybe Miller, maybe Dwyer or Bell, but one thing for sure, Ben isn't completing less passes than he did last year because Mike Wallace is gone. However, the possibility exists that Wallace will not catch 64 passes, because he isn't going to have one of the best quarterbacks in the game throwing him the ball.

I'd rather be in the Steelers situation with Ben still here and Wallace gone, than having Wallace, but not the elite quarterback throwing him the ball. Wide receivers aren't the make or break players in the NFL, it's the quarterback and the Steelers have one of the best, they'll be fine. Mike Wallace may catch 64 passes or more, but if you asked me to wager money on whether he will or not, I'd bet on him not catching as many passes from Tannehill. He could also be doubled every play, I don't know who is opposite him in Miami.

For me, and I liked Mike Wallace and wish he was still a Steeler, I like the Steeler situation having Ben and not Wallace. Ben will make up the catches and yards with the receivers, backs and tight ends at his disposal. He may even turn one of them into a Pro-Bowl receiver.

Pappy

The referee said that you hit Brian Sipe too hard. Did you hit him too hard?
I hit him as hard as I could - Jack Lambert

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Jul 2010

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Originally Posted by papillon

Here's my take on the Mike Wallace situation. Mike Wallace is a good receiver and one of the best (if not the best) deep threats in the game. Ben Roethlisberger is one of the best quarterbacks in the game, probably top 5, maybe better, but at worst top 10. Ben isn't simply going to complete 64 less passes than he did last year, because Wallace isn't there. He will find 64 other targets, maybe Brown, maybe Sanders, maybe Miller, maybe Dwyer or Bell, but one thing for sure, Ben isn't completing less passes than he did last year because Mike Wallace is gone. However, the possibility exists that Wallace will not catch 64 passes, because he isn't going to have one of the best quarterbacks in the game throwing him the ball.

I'd rather be in the Steelers situation with Ben still here and Wallace gone, than having Wallace, but not the elite quarterback throwing him the ball. Wide receivers aren't the make or break players in the NFL, it's the quarterback and the Steelers have one of the best, they'll be fine. Mike Wallace may catch 64 passes or more, but if you asked me to wager money on whether he will or not, I'd bet on him not catching as many passes from Tannehill. He could also be doubled every play, I don't know who is opposite him in Miami.

For me, and I liked Mike Wallace and wish he was still a Steeler, I like the Steeler situation having Ben and not Wallace. Ben will make up the catches and yards with the receivers, backs and tight ends at his disposal. He may even turn one of them into a Pro-Bowl receiver.

The Jets, Eagles, Chiefs, and Browns all sucked and the Giants were mediocre. The Redskins and Bengals were playoff teams, but when they played the Steelers they both had losing records and were in a low point of their seasons. Was good to see Batch beat the Ravens, but lets be honest - that was a fluke.

So really, last year's offense didn't prove anything.

I agree... we had a very soft schedule last year and screwed the pooch

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May 2008

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Originally Posted by Eich

Well, in the Ben thread, you mentioned you thought that losing Holmes was the reason we lost the last Super Bowl to GB. While that doesn't mean a WR carried the team to a Super Bowl, it must still be quite an important piece.

I think Flip was talking about the clutch factor... our WR's were a little lost out there late in the game. IMO Randle El looked more comfortable than Wallace out there.